Japan women's national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Japan

Nickname(s)	なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan)
Association	Japan Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach	Futoshi Ikeda
Captain	Saki Kumagai
Most caps	Homare Sawa (205)
Top scorer	Homare Sawa (83)
FIFA code	JPN
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	8 1 (7 December 2018)
Highest	3 (December 2011)
Lowest	14 (July 2003)
First international
Chinese Taipei 1–0 Japan  (Hong Kong; 7 June 1981)
Biggest win
Japan 21–0 Guam  (Guangzhou, China; 5 December 1997)
Biggest defeat
Italy 9–0 Japan  (Tokyo, Japan; 9 September 1981)  United States 9–0 Japan  (Charlotte, United States; 29 April 1999)
World Cup
Appearances	9 (first in 1991)
Best result	Champions (2011)
Olympic Games
Appearances	5 (first in 1996)
Best result	Runners-up (2012)
Asian Cup
Appearances	17 (first in 1977)
Best result	Champions (2014, 2018)
Medal record World Cup Gold 2011 Germany Team Silver 2015 Canada Team Olympic Games Silver 2012 London Team Asian Cup Gold 2014 Vietnam Team Gold 2018 Jordan Team Silver 1986 Hong Kong Team Silver 1991 Japan Team Silver 1995 Malaysia Team Silver 2001 Chinese Taipei Team Bronze 1989 Hong Kong Team Bronze 1993 Malaysia Team Bronze 1997 China Team Bronze 2008 Vietnam Team Bronze 2010 China Team Bronze 2022 India Team Asian Games Gold 2010 Guangzhou Team Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Team Silver 1990 Beijing Team Silver 1994 Hiroshima Team Silver 2006 Doha Team Silver 2014 Incheon Team Bronze 1998 Bangkok Team Bronze 2002 Busan Team

The Japan women's national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本女子代表, Hepburn: Sakkā Nippon Joshi Daihyō), or nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), represents Japan in women's association football and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA). It is the most successful women's national team from the Asian Football Confederation. Its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 3rd, achieved in December 2011.

Nadeshiko Japan defeated the United States in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, thus claiming their first FIFA Women's World Cup title, becoming the first Asian team to do so and only the fourth women's world champions. It won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the only Asian team to have three combined medals from international championships. It also won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cups, the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, and the 2008, 2010, and 2019 EAFF Football Championships.

History

1970s and 1980s

During the 1970s, the number of women football players and teams increased in Japan, and teams made up regional leagues in various parts of Japan. In 1977, the Japan team participated its first international tournament, 1977 AFC Women's Championship. But, this Japan team was not a national team, Japan Football Association dispatched club team, FC Jinnan as a Japan team. In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held. In 1981, Japan Football Association formed first national team for 1981 AFC Women's Championship and Seiki Ichihara managed as first Japan national team manager. The first match against Chinese Taipei on 7 June at this tournament is the first match for Japan national team history. In 1984, national team was formed for the first time in three years for a China expedition, and Takao Orii managed national team.

In January 1986, Ryohei Suzuki became first full-time manager for national team. In December, Japan won the 2nd place at 1986 AFC Women's Championship. In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League" (abbreviated to "L. League") was established, and the women's national team qualified for the "1991 FIFA Women's World Cup" in China.

Verge of decline

Japan women's national football team attended various championship tournaments such as the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup which had made the national team and the L.League very popular. However, in 1999, Japan failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, and this helped to cause with economic stagnation (Lost Decade) the withdrawal of a series of teams from the L. League. Japanese women's football was on the verge of decline.

Regeneration

In August 2002, the Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had been coach for the Macau national football team, as the new head coach. Officials expected a revitalization of women's football and planned a team reorganization, aiming for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team at first went through a losing streak, but Ueda gradually improved the team, and it eventually gained wide support in Japan. In particular, a game against Korea DPR, which decided who would participate in the 2004 Olympics, not only made fans rush to the National Stadium but also was widely watched on TV.

Following the increase in public interest in women's football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen from among about 2,700 entries and was announced on 7 July 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, comes from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko" (大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").

2003 and 2007 World Cup

Japan was dropped with Germany, Canada and Argentina during 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Beginning by a 6–0 thrash to newcomer Argentina, but later Japan fell on 0–3 loss to later champion Germany, and 1–3 to Canada, who later won 4th place.

Again, in 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup held in China, they again faced Germany, Argentina and England. They started with a 2–2 draw over England, before beating Argentina 1–0 after 90'. But a 0–2 loss over reigning champion Germany again eliminated Japan from the group stage. Japan's disappointing campaign through two decisive Women's World Cup would not have expected to lead to a 2011 triumph.

Golden Period

2011 World Cup

Japan qualified for the finals by finishing third in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup. After finishing second in their group behind England, Japan beat two-time defending champion and host nation Germany 1–0 in the quarterfinals, before easily defeating Sweden 3–1 to reach the final.

After the final game finished 2–2 after extra time, Japan beat the United States 3–1 in a penalty shootout, becoming the first Asian team to win the FIFA Women's World Cup, and the first Asian team to win a senior FIFA title. It came right after men's team won the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, marked their most successful year in Japanese football.

2012 Summer Olympics

Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics by finishing first in the Asian qualifier in September 2011, only 6 weeks after winning the Women's World Cup. At the Olympics, after finishing second in their group behind Sweden, Nadeshiko Japan defeated Brazil 2–0 in the quarterfinals, followed by a 2–1 victory over France, whom Nadeshiko had lost to in a friendly match right before the Olympics, to reach the final.

In a rematch of the World Cup final, Japan was defeated in the Olympic final by a score of 1–2 against the United States, allowing two goals to Carli Lloyd in the 8th and 54th minutes. Yūki Ōgimi scored the lone goal for Japan.

2014 Asian Cup

Despite having won a FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011, Japan entered the 2014 Asian Cup having never previously won the tournament. They were drawn with Asia's Queen Australia, host Vietnam and newcomer Jordan. Their first match in the group stage of the tournament resulted in a 2–2 draw against the defending champion Australia. Also in the group stage, Japan upset host Vietnam by a 4–0 win before defeating Jordan with a 7–0 win to finish first with a higher goal difference.

In the semi-final, Japan beat eight-time champions China 2–1 after 120'. In the final, they met Australia once again and successfully earned a 1–0 win with Azusa Iwashimizu's goal. This marked the first time for Japan to become "Queen of Asia". They became the first Asian team to subsequently win both the FIFA Women's World Cup and AFC Women's Asian Cup. Because of their top placement in the tournament, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea and newcomer Thailand secured their spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be played in Canada the following year.

2015 World Cup

Japan, then fourth in the world, was drawn into Group C for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, with tournament debutants Ecuador, Switzerland, and Cameroon. Japan won all three games, securing passage into the Round of 16, where they drew yet another tournament debutant in the Netherlands. Saori Ariyoshi and Mizuho Sakaguchi scored goals for Japan, and they ultimately survived a couple of nervy moments to get into the quarterfinals. Against Australia, Japan once again used their technical possession game to frustrate The Matildas and negate their speed. Mana Iwabuchi notched the only goal of the game three minutes from time to send Japan to the semifinals.

Against England in the semifinals, Nadeshiko Japan was able to survive against the tenacious Lionesses, as the two teams traded goals from the penalty spot (Aya Miyama for Japan, Fara Williams for England). Deadlocked from the 40th minute on, Japan got a truly fortunate break as English centre back Laura Bassett, in trying to clear out a Japan cross, ended up scoring an own-goal at the death. This set up a rematch with the United States from the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Unfortunately for Japan, the Americans came out flying and scored four goals in the first 16 minutes of the match, with American midfielder Carli Lloyd scoring a hat trick in the process. Yuki Ogimi brought Japan one back in the 27th minute, and an own goal from Julie Johnston halved the American lead, but Tobin Heath put the final touch on the United States' third Women's World Cup victory.

Team image

Nicknames

The Japan women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Nadeshiko Japan".

Home stadium

Japan play its home matches among various stadiums, in rotation, around the country.

Rivalries

South Korea

The Japan and South Korea national football teams are sporting rivals.

Australia

The Japan and Australia national soccer teams are AFC's rivals.

United States

The Japan and United States are sporting rivals.

FIFA World Ranking

, after the match against  Serbia.

     Best Ranking       Best Mover       Worst Ranking       Worst Mover  

Japan's FIFA World Ranking History
	Rank	Year	Games Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Best		Worst
							Rank	Move	Rank	Move
	8 1 (7 December 2018)	2022	8	4	1	3	13		13
	13	2021	11	6	3	2	10	1	13 (10 December)	3

Overall competitive record

• All results list Japan goal tally first.
• Goal scorers are sorted alphabetically.
• Colors gold, silver, and bronze indicate first-, second-, and third-place finishes.

Overall record

Competition	Stage	Result	Opponent	Position	Scorers
1981 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–1	Chinese Taipei	3 / 4
		0–2	Thailand
		1–0	Indonesia		Handa
1986 Asian Championship	Round 1	0–2	China	2 / 3
		10–0	Malaysia		Takakura (2), Nagamine (4), Kioka (2), Tezuka, Matsuda
	Semifinals	4–0	Thailand		Kioka, Nagamine, Noda, Matsuda
	Final	0–2	China
1989 Asian Championship	Round 1	3–0	Hong Kong	1 / 4
		11–0	Indonesia
		14–0	Nepal
	Semifinals	0–1	Chinese Taipei
	Third place	9–0	Hong Kong
1990 Asian Games	Main Round	0–5	China
		5–0	Hong Kong
		8–1	South Korea
		1–1	North Korea
		3–1	Chinese Taipei	2 / 6
1991 Asian Championship	Round 1	1–0	North Korea	1 / 5
		4–1	Hong Kong
		12–0	Malaysia
		12–0	Singapore
	Semifinals	0–0 (PSO: 5–4)	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–5	China
1991 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Brazil	4 / 4
		0–8	Sweden
		0–3	United States
1993 Asian Championship	Round 1	6–1	Chinese Taipei	1 / 4
		15–0	Philippines
		4–0	Hong Kong
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Final	3–0	Chinese Taipei
1994 Asian Games	Round 1	1–1	China	2 / 4
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		5–0	South Korea
	Final	0–2	China
1995 World Cup	Round 1	0–1	Germany	3 / 4
		2–1	Brazil
		0–2	Sweden
	Quarterfinals	0–4	United States
1995 Asian Championship	Round 1	1–0	South Korea	1 / 4
		6–0	India
		17–0	Uzbekistan
	Semifinals	3–0	Chinese Taipei
	Final	0–2	China
1996 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–3	Germany	4 / 4
		0–2	Brazil
		0–4	Norway
1997 Asian Championship	Round 1	21–0	Guam	1 / 4
		1–0	India
		9–0	Hong Kong
	Semifinals	0–1	North Korea
	Third place	2–0	Chinese Taipei
1998 Asian Games	Round 1	6–0	Thailand	2 / 4
		2–3	North Korea
		8–0	Vietnam
	Semifinals	0–3	China
	Third place	2–1	Chinese Taipei
1999 World Cup	Round 1	1–1	Canada	4 / 4
		0–5	Russia
		0–4	Norway
1999 Asian Championship	Round 1	9–0	Thailand	1 / 5
		5–1	Uzbekistan
		14–0	Nepal
		6–0	Philippines
	Semifinals	0–2	Chinese Taipei
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2001 Asian Championship	Round 1	14–0	Singapore	2 / 5
		11–0	Guam
		0–1	North Korea
		3–1	Vietnam
	Semifinals	2–1	South Korea
	Final	0–2	North Korea
2002 Asian Games	Main round	0–1	North Korea
		3–0	Vietnam
		1–0	South Korea
		2–2	China
		2–0	Chinese Taipei	3 / 6
2003 Asian Championship	Round 1	15–0	Philippines	1 / 5
		7–0	Guam
		7–0	Myanmar
		5–0	Chinese Taipei
	Semifinals	0–3	North Korea
	Third place	0–1	South Korea
2003 World Cup	Round 1	6–0	Argentina	3 / 4
		0–3	Germany
		1–3	Canada
2004 Summer Olympics	Round 1	1–0	Sweden	3 / 3
		0–1	Nigeria
	Quarterfinals	1–2	United States		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2005 East Asian Championship	Main Round	0–1	North Korea
		0–0	China
		0–0	South Korea	3 / 4	Awarded the Fair Play Award
2006 Asian Games	Round 1	13–0	Jordan	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		1–0	China
	Semifinals	3–1	South Korea
	Final	0–0 (PSO: 2–4)	South Korea
2006 Asian Championship	Round 1	5–0	Vietnam	1 / 4
		11–1	Chinese Taipei
		1–0	China
	Semifinals	0–2	Australia
	Third place	2–3	North Korea
2007 World Cup	Round 1	2–2	England	3 / 4
		1–0	Argentina
		0–2	Germany
2008 East Asian Championship	Main Round	3–2	North Korea
		2–0	South Korea
		3–0	China	1 / 4
2008 Asian Cup	Round 1	1–3	South Korea	1 / 4
		11–0	Chinese Taipei
		3–1	Australia
	Semifinals	1–3	China
	Third place	3–0	Australia
2008 Summer Olympics qualification	Final round	2–0	Vietnam	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		6–1	South Korea
2008 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–2	New Zealand	3 / 4
		0–1	United States
		5–1	Norway
	Quarterfinals	2–0	China
	Semifinals	2–4	United States
	Third place	0–2	Germany
2010 East Asian Championship	Round 1	2–0	China
		3–0	Chinese Taipei
		2–1	South Korea	1 / 4
2010 Asian Cup	Round 1	8–0	Myanmar	1 / 4
		4–0	Thailand
		2–1	North Korea
	Semifinals	0–1	Australia
	Third place	2–0	China
2010 Asian Games	Round 1	4–0	Thailand	1 / 3
		0–0	North Korea
	Semifinals	1–0	China
	Final	1–0	North Korea
2011 World Cup	Round 1	2–1	New Zealand	2 / 4
		4–0	Mexico
		0–2	England
	Quarterfinals	1–0	Germany
	Semifinals	3–1	Sweden
	Final	2–2 (PSO: 3–1)	United States		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2012 Summer Olympics qualification	Final round	3–0	Thailand
		2–1	South Korea
		1–0	Australia
		1–1	North Korea
		1–0	China
2012 Summer Olympics	Round 1	2–1	Canada	2 / 4
		0–0	Sweden
		0–0	South Africa
	Quarterfinals	2–0	Brazil
	Semifinals	2–1	France
	Finals	1–2	United States
2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup	Final round	2–0	China
		0–0	North Korea
		1–2	South Korea
2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	2–2	Australia	1 / 4
		4–0	Vietnam
		7–0	Jordan
	Semifinals	2–1	China PR
	Final	1–0	Australia		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2015 World Cup	Round 1	1–0	Switzerland	1 / 4
		2–1	Cameroon
		1–0	Ecuador
	Round of 16	2–1	Netherlands
	Quarterfinals	1–0	Australia
	Semifinals	2–1	England
	Final	2–5	United States
2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	4–0	Vietnam	2 / 4
		0–0	South Korea
		1–1	Australia
	Semi-finals	3–1	China
	Final	1–0	Australia		Awarded the Fair Play Award
2018 Asian Games	Round 1	2–0	Thailand	1 / 3
		7–0	Vietnam
	Quarter-finals	2–1	North Korea
	Semi-finals	2–1	South Korea
	Final	1–0	China
2019 World Cup	Round 1	0–0	Argentina	2 / 4
		2–1	Scotland
		0–2	England
	Round of 16	1–2	Netherlands
2020 Summer Olympics	Round 1	1–1	Canada	3 / 4
		0–1	Great Britain
		1–0	Chile
	Quarterfinals	1–3	Sweden
2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup	Round 1	5–0	Myanmar	1 / 4
		3–0	Vietnam
		1–1	South Korea
	Quarterfinals	7–0	Thailand
	Semifinals	2–2 (PSO: 3–4)	China
2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)	Final round	2–1	South Korea
		4–1	Chinese Taipei
		0–0	China	1 / 4

source:

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

      Win       Draw       Lose       Postponed/Cancelled       Fixture

2022

AFC Asian Cup GS 21 January	Japan	5–0	Myanmar	Pune, India
13:30 IST (UTC+05:30)	Ueki  22' Hasegawa  47', 90+2' Naomoto  52' Narumiya  70'	Report (FIFA) Report (SW)		Stadium: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)

AFC Asian Cup GS 24 January	Vietnam	0–3	Japan	Pune, India
19:30 IST (UTC+05:30)		Report (FIFA) Report (SW)	Narumiya  38', 58' Kumagai  50'	Stadium: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Referee: Lara Lee (Australia)

AFC Asian Cup GS 27 January	Japan	1–1	South Korea	Pune, India
13:30 IST (UTC+05:30)	Ueki  1'	Report (FIFA) Report (SW)	Seo Ji-youn  85'	Stadium: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Referee: Edita Mirabidova (Uzbekistan)

AFC Asian Cup QF 30 January	Japan	7–0	Thailand	Navi Mumbai, India
	Sugasawa  27', 65' (pen.), 80', 83' Miyazawa  45+2' Sumida  48' Ueki  75'	Report (SW)		Stadium: DY Patil Stadium Referee: Casey Reibelt (Australia)

AFC Asian Cup SF 3 February	China	2–2 (4–3 pen)	Japan	Pune, India
	Wu Chengshu  46' Wang Shanshan  119'		Ueki  26', 103'	Stadium: Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Referee: Lara Lee (Australia)
		Penalties
	*Zhang Xin Zhang Rui Yang Lina Gao Chen Wang Shanshan		* Kumagai Hasegawa Shimizu Nagano Minami

Friendly 24 June	Serbia	0–5	Japan	Stara Pazova, Serbia
19:45 UTC+2		Report (JFA)	Ueki  28' Naomoto  62' Miyazawa  76' Chiba  81' Narumiya  88'	Stadium: Sport Center FAS

Friendly 27 June	Finland	1–5	Japan	Turku, Finland
18:15 UTC+3	Engman  18'	Report (JFA)	Kuikka  13' (o.g.) Endo  47' Takahashi  58' Ueki  74' Hasegawa  89' (pen.)	Stadium: Veritas Stadium

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 19 July	Japan	2–1	South Korea	Kashima, Japan
15:30 UTC+9	Miyazawa  33' Nagano  65'	Report (EAFF) Report (EAFF)	Ji So-yun  59'	Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Edita Mirabidova (Uzbekistan)

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 23 July	Japan	4–1	Chinese Taipei	Kashima, Japan
15:30 UTC+9	Chiba  14' Ueno  45+2' Chang Su-hsin  57' (o.g.) Sugasawa  72'	Report (EAFF) Report (EAFF)	Su Sin-yun  8'	Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium Attendance: 1,051 Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan)

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 26 July	China	0–0	Japan	Kashima, Japan
19:20 UTC+9		Report (EAFF) Report (EAFF)		Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium Attendance: 901 Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)

Friendly 6 October	Japan	2–0	Nigeria	Kobe, Japan
16:28 UTC+9	Tanaka  64', 68'	Report (JFA) Report (JFA)		Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe Attendance: 1,671 Referee: Kate Jacewicz (Australia)

MS&AD Cup 9 October	Japan	2–0	New Zealand	Nagano, Japan
14:55 UTC+9	Miyazawa  44' Ueki  61'	Report (JFA) Report (JFA)		Stadium: Nagano U Stadium Attendance: 4,110 Referee: Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea)

Friendly 11 November	England	4–0	Japan	Murcia, Spain
20:00 (CET)	Daly  38' Kelly  53' Toone  77' Park  90+1'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Pinatar Arena Referee: Zuzana Valentová (Slovakia)

Friendly 15 November	Spain	1–0	Japan	Sevilla, Spain
20:00 UTC+2	Redondo  9'	Report (JFA)		Stadium: Estadio La Cartuja

2023

SheBelieves Cup 16 February 2023	Japan	v	Brazil	Orlando, Florida
16:00 ET		https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/12/us-soccer-to-host-eighth-annual-shebelieves-cup-presented-by-visa-featuring-usa-brazil-canada-japan		Stadium: Exploria Stadium

SheBelieves Cup 19 February 2023	United States	v	Japan	Nashville, Tennessee
15:30 ET		https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/12/us-soccer-to-host-eighth-annual-shebelieves-cup-presented-by-visa-featuring-usa-brazil-canada-japan		Stadium: Geodis Park

SheBelieves Cup 22 February 2023	Canada	v	Japan	Frisco, Texas
16:00 ET		https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/12/us-soccer-to-host-eighth-annual-shebelieves-cup-presented-by-visa-featuring-usa-brazil-canada-japan		Stadium: Toyota Stadium

MS&AD Cup 14 July 2023	Japan	v	TBD	Miyagi, Japan
		http://jfa.jp/news/00031303/		Stadium: Yurtec Stadium Sendai

2023 FIFA World Cup GS 22 July 2023	Zambia	v	Japan	Hamilton, New Zealand
		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/103/285026/285033/400222842		Stadium: Waikato Stadium

2023 FIFA World Cup GS 26 July 2023	Japan	v	Costa Rica	Dunedin, New Zealand
		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/103/285026/285033/40022284		Stadium: Forsyth Barr Stadium

2023 FIFA World Cup GS 31 July 2023	Japan	v	Spain	Wellington, New Zealand
		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/103/285026/285033/400222845		Stadium: Wellington Regional Stadium

All-time results

• The following table shows Japan women's all-time international record, correct as of 1 Jan 2021.

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA
Total	266	144	43	78	551	307

• Source: Worldfootball.net

Head-to-head record

, after the match against  Finland.

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Role	Name
Head Coach	Futoshi Ikeda
Assistant Coach	Tomomi Miyamoto
GK Coach	Toshihiro Nishiiri
Physical Coach	Keisuke Otsuka
Technical Staff	Kensuke Teraguchi

Manager history

Name	Period	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	Winning %	Notes	Ref.
Seiki Ichihara (市原 聖曠)	1981	0	0	0	0	0%
Takao Orii (折井 孝男)	1984	0	0	0	0	0%
Ryohei Suzuki (鈴木 良平)	1986–1989	0	0	0	0	0%
Satoshi Miyauchi (宮内 聡)	1997–1999	0	0	0	0	0%
Shinobu Ikeda (池田 司信)	2000–2001	0	0	0	0	0%
Eiji Ueda (上田 栄治)	2002–2004	0	0	0	0	0%
Hiroshi Ohashi (大橋 浩司)	2004–2008	0	0	0	0	0%
Norio Sasaki (佐々木 則夫)	2008–2016	0	0	0	0	0%
Asako Takakura (高倉 麻子)	2016–2021	0	0	0	0	0%
Futoshi Ikeda (池田 太)	2021–present	9	5	3	1	55.56%

, after the match against  Finland.

Players

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the friendlies against England and Spain, to be played on 11 and 15 November 2022, respectively.

Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2022 after match against  Spain.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ayaka Yamashita (山下 杏也加)	(1995-09-29) 29 September 1995 (age 29)	53	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
18	1GK	Momoko Tanaka (田中 桃子)	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24)	4	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza
21	1GK	Shu Ohba (大場　朱羽)	(2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 22)	0	0	East Tennessee State Buccaneers
2	2DF	Risa Shimizu (清水 梨紗)	(1996-06-15) 15 June 1996 (age 28)	56	1	West Ham United
3	2DF	Moeka Minami (南 萌華)	(1998-12-07) 7 December 1998 (age 25)	28	1	Roma
4	2DF	Saki Kumagai (熊谷 紗希) (captain)	(1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 34)	130	3	Bayern Munich
5	2DF	Shiori Miyake (三宅 史織)	(1995-10-13) 13 October 1995 (age 29)	32	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa
12	2DF	Ruka Norimatsu (乗松　瑠華)	(1996-01-30) 30 January 1996 (age 28)	9	0	Omiya Ardija Ventus
19	2DF	Saori Takarada (宝田 沙織)	(1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 24)	18	1	Linköping
22	2DF	Kiko Seike (清家 貴子)	(1996-08-08) 8 August 1996 (age 28)	6	1	Urawa Reds
6	3MF	Fuka Nagano (長野 風花)	(1999-03-09) 9 March 1999 (age 25)	27	2	North Carolina Courage
7	3MF	Hinata Miyazawa (宮澤 ひなた)	(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 (age 24)	17	4	MyNavi Sendai
8	3MF	Hikaru Naomoto (猶本 光)	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 30)	31	2	Urawa Reds
13	3MF	Jun Endo (遠藤 純)	(2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 24)	28	2	Angel City
14	3MF	Yui Hasegawa (長谷川 唯)	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27)	60	11	Manchester City
15	3MF	Hina Sugita (杉田 妃和)	(1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 27)	32	2	Portland Thorns
16	3MF	Honoka Hayashi (林 穂之香)	(1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 26)	20	0	West Ham United
20	3MF	Nanami Kitamura (北村　菜々美)	(1999-11-25) 25 November 1999 (age 24)	9	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza
23	3MF	Aoba Fujino (藤野　あおば)	(2004-01-27) 27 January 2004 (age 20)	4	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza
9	4FW	Riko Ueki (植木 理子)	(1999-07-30) 30 July 1999 (age 25)	15	8	Tokyo Verdy Beleza
10	4FW	Mana Iwabuchi (岩渕 真奈)	(1993-03-18) 18 March 1993 (age 31)	85	37	Arsenal
11	4FW	Mina Tanaka (田中 美南)	(1994-04-28) 28 April 1994 (age 30)	62	23	INAC Kobe Leonessa

(Players are listed within position group by order of kit number, caps, goals, seniority, and then alphabetically)

Recent call-ups

The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Chika Hirao (平尾 知佳)	(1996-12-31) 31 December 1996 (age 27)	4	0	Albirex Niigata	v.  New Zealand, 9 October 2022
GK	Sakiko Ikeda (池田 咲紀子)	(1992-09-08) 8 September 1992 (age 32)	20	0	Urawa Reds	v.  Serbia, 24 June 2022 PRE
GK	Mamiko Matsumoto (松本 真未子)	(1997-10-09) 9 October 1997 (age 27)	0	0	MyNavi Sendai	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022 PRE
DF	Hana Takahashi (高橋 はな)	(2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24)	13	1	Urawa Reds	v.  England, 11 November 2022 INJ
DF	Asato Miyagawa (宮川 麻都)	(1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 26)	23	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza	v.  New Zealand, 9 October 2022
DF	Hikaru Kitagawa (北川 ひかる)	(1997-05-10) 10 May 1997 (age 27)	6	0	Albirex Niigata	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF	Kanae Hayashi (林 香奈絵)	(1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 (age 30)	1	0	JEF United Chiba	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF	Miyu Takahira (高平 美憂)	(1999-11-04) 4 November 1999 (age 25)	1	0	MyNavi Sendai	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
DF	Mayu Sasaki (佐々木 繭)	(1993-01-12) 12 January 1993 (age 31)	8	0	Urawa Reds	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
DF	Arisa Matsubara (松原 有沙)	(1995-05-01) 1 May 1995 (age 29)	4	1	Nojima Stella	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
MF	Shinomi Koyama (小山 史乃観)	(2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Cerezo Osaka	v.  New Zealand, 9 October 2022
MF	Narumi Miura (三浦 成美)	(1997-07-03) 3 July 1997 (age 27)	30	0	Tokyo Verdy Beleza	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF	Yui Narumiya (成宮 唯)	(1995-02-22) 22 February 1995 (age 29)	9	4	INAC Kobe Leonessa	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF	Ami Sugita (杉田 亜未)	(1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 32)	8	2	Nojima Stella	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF	Yoshino Nakashima (中嶋 淑乃)	(1999-07-27) 27 July 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
MF	Rin Sumida (隅田 凜)	(1996-01-12) 12 January 1996 (age 28)	27	1	MyNavi Sendai	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
MF	Moeno Sakaguchi (阪口 萌乃)	(1992-06-04) 4 June 1992 (age 32)	12	1	INAC Kobe Leonessa	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
MF	Yuzuho Shiokoshi (塩越 柚歩)	(1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 27)	5	2	Urawa Reds	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
MF	Hikaru Yumura (祐村 ひかる)	(1997-10-18) 18 October 1997 (age 27)	0	0	AS Saitama	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
MF	Reina Wakisaka (脇阪 麗奈)	(1999-05-02) 2 May 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Nojima Stella	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
FW	Ayaka Inoue (井上 綾香)	(1995-01-15) 15 January 1995 (age 29)	3	0	Omiya Ardija Ventus	v.  New Zealand, 9 October 2022
FW	Maika Hamano (浜野　まいか)	(2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 20)	1	0	INAC Kobe Leonessa	v.  New Zealand, 9 October 2022
FW	Yuika Sugasawa (菅澤 優衣香)	(1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 (age 34)	84	29	Urawa Reds	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW	Mami Ueno (上野 真実)	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28)	10	1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW	Remina Chiba (千葉 玲海菜)	(1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 25)	4	2	JEF United Chiba	2022 EAFF E-1 Championship
FW	Akari Shiraki (白木 星)	(1996-11-04) 4 November 1996 (age 28)	0	0	MyNavi Sendai	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022
FW	Megumi Takase (高瀬 愛実)	(1990-11-10) 10 November 1990 (age 34)	61	9	INAC Kobe Leonessa	Training camp, 4–10 April 2022 PRE

(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, goals, seniority, and then alphabetically)

Previous squads

Bold indicates winning squads

Captains

• Saki Kumagai (2016–present)

Records

*Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Honours

Intercontinental

• FIFA Women's World Cup

Champions: 2011

Runners-up: 2015

• Olympic Games

Runners-up: 2012

Continental

• AFC Women's Asian Cup

Champions: 2014, 2018

Runners-up: 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001

• Asian Games

Champions: 2010, 2018

Runners-up: 1990, 1994, 2006, 2014

Regional

• EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Champions: 2008, 2010, 2019, 2022

Runners-up: 2013, 2017

Other tournaments

• Algarve Cup

Runners-up: 2012, 2014

Competitive record

     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place  

FIFA Women's World Cup

Olympic Games

AFC Women's Asian Cup

AFC Women's Asian Cup record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1975	Did not enter
1977	Group Stage	2	0	0	2	0	8	−8
1980	Did not enter
1981	Group stage	3	1	0	2	1	3	−2
1983	Did not enter
1986	Runners-up	4	2	0	2	14	4	+10
1989	Third place	5	4	0	1	37	1	+36
1991	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	27	6	+21
1993	Third place	5	4	0	1	29	4	+25
1995	Runners-up	5	4	0	1	27	3	+24
1997	Third place	5	4	0	1	33	1	+32
1999	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	36	6	+30
2001	Runners-up	6	4	0	2	30	5	+25
2003	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	34	4	+30
2006		5	3	0	2	19	6	+13
2008	Third place	5	3	0	2	19	7	+12
2010		5	4	0	1	16	2	+14
2014	Champions	5	4	1	0	16	3	+13
2018		5	3	2	0	9	2	+7
2022	Semi-finals	5	3	2	0	18	3	+15
Total	17/20	83	55	6	22	365	68	+297

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

• A Japanese representative side FC Jinnan representing Japan participated in the 1977 AFC Women's Championship.

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Hosts / Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
1990	Runners-up	5	3	1	1	17	8	+9
1994		4	2	1	1	9	3	+6
1998	Third place	5	3	0	2	18	7	+11
2002		5	3	1	1	8	3	+5
2006	Runners-up	5	4	1	0	21	1	+20
2010	Champions	4	3	1	0	6	0	+6
2014	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	28	3	+25
2018	Champions	5	5	0	0	14	2	+12
2022	TBD
2026
2030
2034
Total	7/7	34	22	6	6	107	25	+82

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

EAFF E-1 Football Championship

EAFF E-1 Football Championship record
Hosts / Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
2005	Third place	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1
2008	Champions	3	3	0	0	8	2	+6
2010		3	3	0	0	7	1	+6
2013	Runners-up	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1
2015	Third place	3	1	0	2	5	6	−1
2017	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	4	4	0
2019	Champions	3	3	0	0	13	0	+13
2022	Champions	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4
Total	8/8	24	15	4	5	46	18	+28

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Match history

EAFF E-1 Football Championship history
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
2005	First match	North Korea	0–1	Loss
	Second match	China	0–0	Draw
	Third match	South Korea	0–0	Draw
2008	First match	North Korea	3–2	Win
	Second match	South Korea	2–0	Win
	Third match	South Korea	3–0	Win
2010	First match	China	2–0	Win
	Second match	Chinese Taipei	3–0	Win
	Third match	South Korea	2–1	Win
2013	First match	China	2–0	Win
	Second match	North Korea	0–0	Draw
	Third match	South Korea	1–2	Loss
2015	First match	North Korea	2–4	Loss
	Second match	South Korea	1–2	Loss
	Third match	China	2–0	Win
2017	First match	South Korea	3–2	Win
	Second match	China	1–0	Win
	Third match	North Korea	0–2	Loss
2019	First match	Chinese Taipei	7–0	Win
	Second match	China	3–0	Win
	Third match	South Korea	1–0	Win
2022	First match	South Korea	2–1	Win
	Second match	Chinese Taipei	4–1	Win
	Third match	China	0–0	Draw

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and longest-running women's international football events and has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup."

Algarve Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD
1994–2010	Did not enter
2011	3rd place	4	3	0	1	9	3	+6
2012	2nd place	4	3	0	1	8	5	+3
2013	5th place	4	2	0	2	4	4	0
2014	2nd place	4	2	1	1	4	5	−1
2015	9th place	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2
2016	Did not enter
2017	6th place	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2
2018	6th place	4	2	0	2	6	9	−3
2019–	Did not enter
Total	7/27	28	16	1	11	45	36	+9

Cyprus Women's Cup

Cyprus Women's Cup record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
2008	3rd place	3	1	1	1	5	5	0
Total	1/13	3	1	1	1	5	5	0

SheBelieves Cup

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football hosted in the United States.

SheBelieves Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coaches
2016–2018	Did not enter
2019	3Third place	3	1	1	1	5	6	Asako Takakura
2020	4Fourth place	3	0	0	3	2	7
2021	Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Total	2/6	6	1	1	4	7	13

Match history

SheBelieves Cup history
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
2019	First match	United States	2–2	Draw
	Second match	Brazil	3–1	Win
	Third match	England	0–3	Loss
2020	First match	Spain	1–3	Loss
	Second match	England	0–1	Loss
	Third match	United States	1–3	Loss

Tournament of Nations

The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years hosted by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in several American cities. The inaugural tournament was held in 2017.

The 2021 edition would have been a pre-Olympics tournament due to the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics. On May 6, 2021, however, the USSF announced that it would no longer hold Tournament of Nations because recent changes in international windows by FIFA made a round-robin tournament unfeasible.

Tournament of Nations record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coach
2017	3Third place	3	0	1	2	3	8	Asako Takakura
2018	4Fourth place	3	0	0	3	3	8
Total	2/2	6	0	1	5	6	16

Match history

Tournament of Nations history
Year	Round	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	First match	Brazil	1–1	Draw
	Second match	Australia	2–4	Loss
	Third match	United States	0–3	Loss
2018	First match	United States	2–4	Loss
	Second match	Brazil	1–2	Loss
	Third match	Australia	0–2	Loss

See also

In Spanish: Selección femenina de fútbol de Japón para niños

National teams

Men's

• Japan national football team
• Japan national under-23 football team
• Japan national under-20 football team
• Japan national under-17 football team
• Japan national futsal team
• Japan national under-20 futsal team
• Japan national beach soccer team

Women's

• Japan women's national under-20 football team
• Japan women's national under-17 football team
• Japan women's national futsal team